


Sunny Side Blind Side

by canterofmysinnings



Series: Barlliams Songfic Challenge 2018-2020+ [21]
Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: Angst with a solution, Bickering, Bitterness, Confessions, Counselling, Crying, Depression, Drugs mention, Dysfunctional marriage - Freeform, Forgiveness, Friend advice, Happy Ending, Heavy swearing (but just once), M/M, Medium to heavy angst, Possessiveness, Threats, Verbal arguments/abuse, alcohol mention, parenting, shouting, sleep difficulties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:09:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27176365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canterofmysinnings/pseuds/canterofmysinnings
Summary: This chapter, things are dramatic for Gary and Robbie. They have been married for years now and have everything a couple could ask for in marriage. Unfortunately their relationship has gone sour and every day is a living hell. They decide to give it one last to by visiting a marriage counselor to get their relationship back on track. The counselor orders them to try out a rather odd activity to hopefully make them find love again. Question is, will it work or are they doomed forever?
Relationships: Gary Barlow/Robbie Williams
Series: Barlliams Songfic Challenge 2018-2020+ [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926196
Kudos: 2





	Sunny Side Blind Side

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 21 of my Transfer from Wattpad series, as well as my year-long Barlliams Songfic challenge.  
> Originally published at: 19/05/2018  
> Originally inspired by the song: Karma Killer

**September 2010**

It was already late at night, and Gary was sat at home. Utterly alone apart from his baby girl Debora, or Debby, he was working on some sheet music in his room in complete silence. Debby was 6 year old and a bit of a spaced out child. She was, like Gary, very interested in the aesthetic, artsy things in life. Most often in her own world, she was a very endearing girl.  
See, Debby was meant to be Robbie's child, too. Gary and Robbie adopted Debby back in the day after they married in 2009.  
But, as Gary kept telling himself over and over over, it increasingly felt like Debby was Gary's responsibility only.  
Why, you ask? Because lately, things had not been so rosy in the Williams-Barlow household.

Gary and Robbie had been fighting. What started as normal chit chat turned into to hard words and accusations all too often. They tried to keep it all together in front of their daughter Debs, as they both knew she was a very intelligent and sensible girl. But it was becoming far too difficult to uphold the illusion of peace and harmony within their four walls of the house.

Gary thought of this and a couple of other things as he mindlessly edited the chords all over again. _Click, click, click._  
He was interrupted by smalls hands tugging his shirt to get attention. Gary turned around and saw his daughter behind him.   
Trying to snap out of his depressive state, he smirked warmly at his daughter. "Hello Debs, my bunny. What's the matter?"

The words felt like stinging needles to his tongue. Calling their daughter bunny was yet another thing that Gary and Robbie used to share with each other, that now seemed to have lost its meaning.   
It was a funny idea that Robbie had got after You Know Me was released, and You Know Me was full of dancing bunnies.

"I'm tired." Debby complained. "I was waiting for you to tuck me in, but it never happened. Will you please come on now?"   
Gary felt sweat break out as he realised his massive mess up.   
"Yes of course, my darling. I see you've already put your pajamas on? Good girl!"   
Gary got up from his chair by his work desk and followed Debby to the bathroom.   
"Have you done a pee, bunny? You know that's important before you go to bed, yes?"   
Debby nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, daddy."  
Gary caressed Debby's golden blonde hair as he found a stepping stool for her to stand on to reach the sink.   
He found her purple toothbrush and put a little blob of blue toothpaste on it, then he smiled weakly to her. "Come on, brush your teeth. Two minutes, okay?"  
Gary set a clock that was next to the mirror. As he heard it tick, he looked at himself in the mirror.   
He saw a tired man, a weary man. A man who had seen unspeakable things yet survived. He wondered for a while if Debby knew anything about the unfavorable situation her parents had got into.   
Debby spat out the foam and reached for a glass of water to remove the rest of it. As she finished it up and dried her mouth in the towel, she stepped down from the sink and looked at Gary with a look of triumph. She smiled endearingly, and Gary knelt down as he invited her to be carried to her bedroom.   
"Come on... And whooo up-pa ya go!" Gary chuckled as she whined of laughter.   
He carried her into her bed and tucked her in.   
"Sleep well, my bunny girl." Gary stroke her cheek.   
Debby, being ever so bright, suddenly got a look of suspicion upon her sweet, angelic face.   
"Where's daddy?" She asked, clutching her toy dog.   
Gary smiled. "Daddy's here, don't you know?"   
Debby's eyes darkened a bit as she shook her head. "No, other daddy." She protested. "Where's he?"   
_Umph_. Gary inhaled deeply.   
"Robbie is fine, he's just... Buying you a looooot of toys!" Gary mused desperately, sweating more than before at the unexpected turn of things.   
"Hmmm." Debby's defiance turned into contentness as a soft yawn crossed her lips.   
Gary immediately took the opportunity to say goodnight and hastily left the room. The second he made it outside, an overwhelming feeling of being drained washed over him and he had to sit down for a while.  
Then he scribbled away on his chord sheets in the the master bedroom with no other sounds than the ever-ticking clock and his pencil.   
The later the time, the tougher the time Gary had with his focus abilities.   
He ended up checking the time every half an hour, every fifteen minutes and eventually just staring at the display of his digital clock.   
There were still fresh sleeping marks on the bed after the night before where Robbie had dropped by late at night to sleep, next to Gary.   
It was not a very pleasurable experience, and both Gary and Robbie had slept unsteadily after bickering a lot. But at least Robbie _was_ there. Parenting felt like a joke now, as Robbie hardly made an appearance at their home anymore.

Gary's heavy thoughts and mindless scribbling eventually became to much to bear for Gary's tired brain, and he got off from the bed and brushed teeth in the bedroom whist only being half awake.   
After that, he undressed in a depressive daze and went to sleep.

Gary woke up a couple of hours later and turned around. The duvet felt much too hot for him, so he trashed off and breathed heavily into the dark air.   
He was about to drift back into sleep again after changing positions, as his elbow accidentally hit a barrier of something that certainly wasn't a part of the bed. Touching again to make sure it was real, he was flabbergasted. _What was this?_  
As he kept exploring the strange occurrence, he felt the thing moved in regular intervals, almost like the back of a sleeping person.   
Gary touched more, carefully tracing. As he felt around, he became convinced that this was indeed a person.   
Leaning closer, he started to see the outline of a sleeping brunette.   
Robbie.   
Gary buried his nose into the man's hairline to confirm that it really _was_ him.   
After smelling him, Gary could tell that it was indeed his husband, and that he was back again. Which made sense as Gary and Robbie were the only ones with keys to the house.   
Gary investigated further, trying to find out if Robbie was intoxicated.   
However, he could not find any evidence that Robbie had been drinking or taking drugs.   
Comforted, he laid back down on his bed. Yearning for intimacy, he poked Robbie on the shoulder.   
"Robbie." He Whispered.   
"Hm." a throaty Stoke accent answered, an accent which Gary hasn't heard for a while.   
"It's Gary." Gary whispered, louder.   
"Gary..." Robbie repeated sleepily.   
"I still love you." Gary replied. "Despite everything."  
Gary could tell that Robbie's breathing sped up for a moment, but he didn't say anything in return.   
Gary figured that Robbie had fallen asleep again and thereby tried to fall asleep himself.

**Next morning**

Gary woke up and was mildly put surprised to see that Robbie was still there.   
Robbie was not in a good mood, but he was there, which to Gary was better than to not having him near at all.   
"Hi." Gary greeted Robbie apathetically.   
"Hello." Robbie's voice was so low that it could barely be heard as he dodged Gary's eye contact.   
"How are things?" Gary tried his hardest to contain himself as he tried to reach out to Robbie.   
"Fine." Robbie shrugged.   
"That's it?" Gary snapped. "No 'How's Debby?' No 'I'm good thank you, how are you?'" He exhaled loudly.   
"No." Robbie said, looking offended.   
"Well, since you didn't know, she's at Ian's. She and I had there all alone, and I kid you not, girl kept asking where you were! Tell me Robbie, do you recall we happen to have a daughter together?" Gary critiqued his husband unhappily. Days of unreleased unhappiness stirred towards the surface in a nauseating stream of humiliation.   
Robbie stared at the floor.   
Was he feeling guilty? Robbie could not tell.  
"Do you not know how much it hurts me when you neglect me like this? When you neglect our family?"   
Robbie shook his head and gulped.   
"Yesterday, I had to put Debs to sleep, I did it alone. And I did it past her bedtime. Do you know why?" Gary reprimanded.   
Robbie opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, then he closed his mouth again.   
"Because you weren't there. You didn't care about me, about US enough to be there, did you?"   
Robbie furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not true. Stop lying about me." He muttered.   
Gary clenched his fist in anger. "Huh? Then tell me. Tell me if you still want this. Or if I should walk right out of this place and take our child with me."  
Robbie bit his lip. Gary figured that somewhere inside his soul, his words affected Robbie.   
"The atmosphere here was too hostile, so I had to disappear from here to not do something I would regret."  
Gary scoffed. "Really? Has it dawned upon you that YOU could be the reason the atmosphere is so damn thick you could cut it like butter?"   
"You're not doing too well either." Robbie ridiculed, his green eyes full of scorn in its purest form. Gary could tell that   
Something inside of Gary broke into pieces as Gary inhaled sharply.   
"Stop. Please, just stop a minute will you?" Gary pleaded, leaving the fate of his relationship to otherworldly powers as he truly felt he would do anything to win back Robbie's affection.   
"What for?" Robbie spewed hatefully, crossing his arms as to block out Gary's words of surrender.   
"I just want you to remember. What did you marry me for, Robbie? What made you want to start a family with me?" Tiny tears emerged from the corner of Gary's eyes as he continued to speak. "What made you choose me as your forever?"   
Robbie's facial expressions softened from anger into confusion and Gary stopped breathing temporarily as a hope was sparked in him that he might have reached a tipping point which could change everything.   
"That I love..." Robbie inhaled, "Loved you."  
 _Bloody hell._ Gary felt an inner blackout as Robbie said the words that he thought only were possible in his most terrible nightmare.   
He broke down sobbing, and as his sobs grew louder, his tears grew stronger and blocked his vision.

If Gary had been able to see in the very moment his heartbreak overwhelmed him, he would know that Robbie felt sorry and had considered to reach out and touch him. However, Robbie felt guilty and chickened out in the last moment, thus leaving his efforts unknown to Gary, who was experiencing the worst crisis of his life due to Robbie.   
"I need space. I'm sorry." Robbie's voice cracked as he left the room and sprinted outside.

**With an older friend at her house**

A very worn out Robbie arrived to his friend Sharon's house past 16pm.   
Robbie rang Sharon's doorbell while contemplating if he should be here at all.   
Shortly after, the door was opened and a woman with red hair stepped out.  
"Hi Robbie, nice to see you. Goodness, you look like something the cat brought in! Come on in."  
Robbie smiled faintly as they sat down in the kitchen. "Things are not so good at the moment."  
Sharon frowned in sympathy. "Oh no, now. Why?"   
She poured Robbie a glass of tea and pressed lemon into the brew.   
Robbie shrugged. "My husband and I are fighting with no end in sight. He won't give up, I won't give up. It's a hell. We fight every day and I spend more time outside the house than inside it."  
"I'm sorry to hear that, truly."  
"Mmm." Robbie tasted the tea and felt soothed.   
"Don't you want to try counseling?" Sharon suggested.   
"Try _what_?" Robbie frowned. "Don't you think we can figure this out ourselves? God, why am I even telling you this..." Robbie sighed heavily.   
"Counseling is not for fun, Robbie. It's for saving something that you can't save on your own. I don't think you two can figure it out alone."   
"Okay...." Robbie said, still sceptical. "How do you know?"   
Sharon giggled. "Oh boy, trust me. I know it can make a difference. After my last divorce, I decided I wanted to make a difference for other people who are going through the same thing or about to, you know. So I became the leader of a counseling company offering services for troubled couples."  
Sharon got up from her chair and found a dark blue paper.   
It was professional looking, with graphic design and fonts.   
Robbie read the paper somewhat reluctantly.

" _SunnySide Counceling_

_For marriages in trouble_

_ARE you not so chuffed about your marriage?_   
_WOULD you rather kip than smooth?_   
_DO YOU feel knackered each time you look at your partner?_   
_HAS your 'Forever more' become stale?_   
_Fear not, there's hope. Take a look around one of our locations today and get your marriage back on track. Our services are initially free, but-_

Robbie's attention was diverted as Sharon interrupted him.   
"So? What do you say? Do you want to fight for your husband?"   
Robbie looked at Sharon in a moment of intensity. "I saw him crying." He said. "He was inconsolable."  
Sharon crinkled her face in disbelief.   
"I was about to touch him, but then I didn't."  
Sharon gasped. "What do you mean you didn't?"   
Robbie felt embarrassed. "I don't know, I just felt so guilty from all the pain I caused him-"   
"No way. Stop the music, now!" Sharon protested as she got up from her chair. "Please tell me once for all Robbie, do you think Gary can read your mind?"   
Robbie gulped. "Well, no."  
"Then why do you expect him to, Robbie? Gary only knows what you tell him, OK? Talk to him for fuck's sake, you're a married man!"  
"Sorry." Robbie blushed red shamefully as he shared on the floor.   
"I think you should return home to Gary and tell him what I've shown you."  
"I will." Robbie said and got ready to leave, paper in hand.   
"Thank you for having me." Robbie confessed. "I've been a pain."  
Sharon raised her eyebrows slightly. "No way, you've not been a pain. You've just forgot how to speak to your husband. Happens to everyone at a point in life. Good luck, Robbie." Sharon said sincerely.   
"Thank you. Bye! " Robbie said goodbye to Sharon and headed home to talk to Gary.

**At home**

Robbie arrived back at his and Gary's place only to discover a sign on the door.

_No coming near this door unless you're the mailman. G._

Very well. Robbie let himself in easily and found Gary doing ironing in the living room.   
The offer from SunnySide in hand, he approached Gary.   
"Gary. I need to talk to you about this."  
Gary looked at the blue paper Robbie was holding and shook his head. "I'm afraid I've got no time for you."  
"Please." Robbie begged. "I need you to look at this."

**In a room at SunnySide counseling**

After quite a lot of drama, Gary had agreed to take counseling with Robbie. A very awkward car ride ensued, and safe to say it wasn't any less awkward now that they were alone in a room with a therapy professional.   
"Welcome. My name is Lynn. And your names are...?"  
"Gary Barlow." Gary said stiffly.   
"Robbie Williams." Robbie said, void of emotions.   
"Good." The woman scribbled down on a save file. "How old are you?"   
"I'm 39." Gary said. It was as clear as day that he was feeling uncomfortable.   
"36 here." Robbie stated, glancing secretly at his - despite circumstances - husband of two years.   
"Recorded." The lady said as she looked at them again.   
Robbie was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his eyes off Gary, while Gary appeared entirely blank.   
"Are you two married?" The lady asked. "Well, that's kind of an obvious question in a way, since we're targeting towards married couples, but..." She tapped her pen.   
"Yes. We married two years ago." Robbie answered on Gary's behalf.   
The woman promptly scribbled on the save file. "Good. We at SunnySide think it's our duty to welcome LGBT+ couples, hence the genderneutral advertising. We record everything on paper to ensure the highest possible privacy for our customers." She then cleared her throat, "Anyway. Do you have any children in your household? Or any teenagers?"   
Robbie was about to reply, when Gary snapped out of his trance.   
"Miss Deborah Barlow." Gary said calmly.   
"Deborah _Williams_." Robbie corrected Gary.   
"Deborah _Barlow_." Gary snapped. "I know what I'm talking about when I call her a Barlow, thank you very much."  
"Oh, piss off. She's definitely a Williams." Robbie dismissed sternly.

"Gentlemen, please take a deep breath and lean back." The therapy lady responded gently.   
Then she ripped out the save file from her writing board and carefully folded in smaller and smaller pieces.   
"I don't think we're going to need this anymore, as I know exactly what will help you two."  
"Really, and what's that supposed to be?" Gary sighed, he felt humiliated.   
The lady elegantly dropped the paper with their information on into a recycling bin.   
"All I'm asking you to do is to turn your entire body to... Gary... Here, so that communicating will be easier. No crossed body parts."  
"Like this?" Robbie turned around on the rotating chair so that his entire body was facing Gary.   
"Great!" The counselor praised. "Now, Gary, please do the same."  
Gary, after a while of hesitation, did it too.   
"Look into each other's eyes, or at least try to."   
The two men attempted looked at each other. Although they had been married for multiple years, the fallout they had experienced was so severe that both men felt more like they looked at a stranger than at their spouse.

"Now, talk your spouse like you would talk to yourself. Ask questions to each other like you were asking yourselves and answer as if it was yourself. Start with saying your name, your spouse's name. Keep using it as often as it's possible. Got it?"

"Yes." Both men answered.   
The therapist sat back as the wonders of human psychology did its magical job once again.

"Hi Gary, it's Robbie." Robbie said softly and smiled slightly.   
"Hi Robbie... It's Gary." Gary's voice was shaking, as Gary was still on the edge.   
Remembering the therapist's words, Robbie plotted his next move.   
"I was wondering what you did earlier today while I was away." Robbie said tilting his head a bit.   
"I..." Gary gulped as he searched for the words. "I did some work around the house really, dropped the little one off for a weekend stay at my brother's while I sorted out some things in time for you to..." Gary gulped again, "To arrive back home."  
Then he regained his composure.   
"What did you do away from the house, Robbie?" A faint smile grew bigger as Gary became more confident.   
"I visited Sharon. You know, the red hair, right Gary?" Robbie smirked his signature smirk as he jokingly imitated Sharon.   
"X Factor?" Gary smirked. He felt his face getting warmer as he blushed red. The Robbie smirk. An expression he had gone way too long without seeing by now.   
"She told me to man up and talk to you." Robbie confessed. "And I thought, my... She told me that I, as your husband has forgotten how to get along with you."  
Robbie inhaled, his face was one of peace as he truly opened to his heart to his husband.   
"I'm sorry for being mean to you. I never meant to let you down, but it was far too easy to start, and once I started I didn't know when to stop. Your humiliation was addicting, the high of being inappropriate. But I realise now that this is wrong and has got to stop."  
Gary just sat there, his hands tested on his thighs, completely spellbound as Robbie continued to rant.   
Robbie was so affected by now it felt like he was pouring his heart out as he kneeled down on the hard, cold tile floor in the therapy room.   
"Gary. I'm giving you my heart now. I sincerely vow to treat you and our daughter properly with love and care." Robbie promised, his voice even cracking, wrapping his hands around Gary as he knelt down completely surrendering.   
"Robbie." Gary pleaded as he took Robbie by the hand. "You've outdone yourself, my love. You should now I would take you back now even without bravour."  
"With help, you've once again revealed your true self and the man I fell in love with." Gary kissed Robbie's hands as they were folded.   
"You are worth it. I knew you needed help, I just... I have seen the real you again. Because the real you, right?"   
Robbie nodded as a yes as he buried his face in Gary's stomach. Gary felt it tickle and could not resist letting out a little giggle, which Robbie reprocicated.   
Gary pulled his taller husband upwards so they were closely embracing in a standing position now.   
Robbie lovingly pressed his forehead against his smaller husband's, and they gazed into each other's eyes. Robbie held Gary around the hips, and Gary held Robbie around his shoulders.   
"I love you, Captain. Be my forever more Gaz, please."  
"Hello, this is your Captain speaking. I love you too Robbie, and I'll be your forever more."


End file.
